Feature article

Slender-billed CurlewNumenius tenuirostris

Morocco was probably among the best countries to have been able to observe this species with the last acceptable records being submitted in February 1998. Unconfirmed reports, subsequent to 1998, refer to the area Merja Zerga and whilst probable, these records have not been officially accepted. During the later part of 2008 Birdlife International, and other notable organisations, launched an appeal for all birdwatchers to search for Slender-billed Curlews. It seems to us to be very appropriate that we lead our launch of Moroccan Birds with the main feature focusing on this incredibly rare bird.

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Morocco was probably among the best countries to have been able to observe this species with the last acceptable records being submitted in February 1998. Unconfirmed reports, subsequent to 1998, refer to the area Merja Zerga and whilst probable, these records have not been officially accepted. During the later part of 2008 Birdlife International, and other notable organisations, launched an appeal for all birdwatchers to search for Slender-billed Curlews. It seems to us to be very appropriate that we lead our launch of Moroccan Birds with the main feature focusing on this incredibly rare bird.

During the course of 2009 Spanish Nature launched its own appeal for used binoculars and telescopes. The binoculars are for various schools in the Saharan region, but the telescopes are to be given to local Moroccan birding guides. Our first priority will be to donate a scope to our friend and local guide at Merja Zerga, he is familiar with the bird and we hope this added aid will prove invaluable in helping him rediscover the Slender-billed Curlew! What a contribution that would be and although extremely unlikely, we feel it is a positive step towards helping the project.

We visit Morocco on at least 5 occasions with tours each year and all our senior guides normally travel via the northern route along the Atlantic coast to reach Marrakech. We will donate guide fees to allow our guides to spend some days prior to and after our main tours. It will mean we have some excellent observers visiting likely habitats away from Merja Zerga at least 5 times a year.

For all intending to visit this fine country, please help us to help rediscover this wonderful bird and thus help secure its future.

The RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and other partners have launched a last push to find one of the world's rarest birds.

They have issued a call to search for and find any remaining populations of Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris. This announcement was made at the Ninth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP-CMS COP 9), in Rome, Italy, 1-5 December.

Classified as Critically Endangered, Slender-billed Curlew is the rarest species found in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, with no confirmed records since 1999. Regarded as very common in the 19th century, it declined dramatically during the 20th. It migrated from its presumed breeding grounds in Siberia, across central and eastern Europe to wintering grounds in North Africa and the Middle East. Flocks of over 100 birds were recorded from Morocco as late as the 1960s and 1970s. However, between 1980 and 1990, there were only 103 records, and from 1990-1999, this dropped to 74, with most recent verified records being of one to three birds. However, the Slender-billed Curlew is easily overlooked, challenging to identify and may use countries, such as Iraq and Iran, that have been relatively inaccessible to experienced birders in recent years.

"Although the situation for Slender-billed Curlew does look gloomy, the fact that other species have risen from the 'dead' recently does fuel our optimism. We are encouraging people not to give up on this bird", said Nicola Crockford of the RSPB and chair of the Slender-billed Curlew working group. "Additionally, this bird was known to inhabit remote areas - so it is just possible that small numbers of the bird may still be wintering in an isolated part of North Africa or the Middle East, or that some unknown nesting site may be discovered in the depths of Central Asia. But our quest is definitely a race against time."

The working group has developed a tool kit to assist people to identify and report Slender-billed Curlew in the field. This identification leaflet and a map of all recent sightings by season, mean that birders will now know what to look for, and when and where to look for it. Technological advances will assist with this work. Satellite tags are now small enough for use on Slender-billed Curlews; if any can be found and caught then the sites used during the migratory cycle could be determined. Also, research on feather samples from museum skins may soon enable a narrowing down of the search area for the breeding grounds (the only nesting records date from 1909-1924 in the Tara area of the Omsk-Novosibirsk region, south-west Siberia).

"This is the last chance to find Slender-billed Curlew. If we lose this species, it will be the first extinction of a European bird since Canary Islands Oystercatcher Haematopus meadewaldoi in 1981", said Richard Grimmett, BirdLife's Head of Conservation. "We've launched The BirdLife Preventing Extinctions Programme to save the world's most threatened birds. For many species - such as Slender-billed Curlew - the first step is to confirm if they still survive, and then identify and protect the sites that they use."

Do you consider a friendly atmosphere, comfort and relaxation, as well as value for money, an essential part of any well earned holiday? If you do, then all our bird watching adventures have been specifically designed to suit you!

If you require further information please Contact Us or telephone: +34 616 891 359

Why not give yourself a real treat and join us at Moroccan Birds for your next nature holiday?

A brief introduction

Moroccan Birds has been created by Spanish Nature. We have created this special web site for Moroccan Birds because this destination, for birding, is still not getting the attention it deserves. Spanish Nature are doing birding tours in Morocco, both in spring and autumn, covering the desert and coastal areas. Where possible we are employing local guides, but always under the supervision of one of our senior-guides, thus guaranteeing the high quality for which Spanish Nature is known throughout the birding world.

Responsible Tourism

Working in various countries we pay particular attention to details such as using local companies, local guides and wherever possible local produce. In Morocco we are introducing an educational programme to local schools focusing on nature and we are also helping cooperatives whose aim is to improve the quality of life for marginalized women and children.